For Immediate Release: November 13, 2015

(San Francisco, CA) Richard Cizik, President of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good, has been awarded The Purpose Prize from Encore.org, a national nonprofit that is building a movement to tap the experience of people in midlife and beyond who are using their encore years -- the time of traditional retirement -- to undertake powerful social-impact projects. The award is bestowed on a select number of outstanding individuals working to improve local communities and the world.

Cizik, former National Association of Evangelicals spokesman, and a resident of Fredericksburg, Virginia, is joined by a cohort of 41 Purpose Prize Fellows who were selected from a pool of more than 600 nominees in recognition of their innovative social impact contributions.

According to Encore.org, Cizik “spreads the word of environmental sustainability, equality and justice.” Cizik's profile on Encore.org highlights some of his most recent achievements:

“*Mobilized more than 1 million evangelicals and Catholics after making the case for climate change as an election issue;*More than 40,000 evangelicals and Catholics have joined NEP's efforts to reduce U.S. nuclear stockpiles;*Built an email list of more than 5 million evangelical Christians in the U.S. interested in working for progressive issues.”

In reflecting on his life-long commitment to social justice, Cizik is already envisioning his work moving forward: "Now, I aim to focus on three things: climate change and its devastating impact on the world's poorest populations; anti-Muslim bigotry, promoting dialogue across religious traditions and combating interfaith violence; and drug reform, an issue I came to through the loss of my son at age 23 to a heroin overdose. Drug addiction and its link to the American sin of incarceration relate to messages about human dignity and connecting policy to compassion for others. Now, in my own encore, compassion for others and for the environment define me, as my work on behalf of the world we share helps to heal the wounds of loss within me."

Twenty-six jurors -- leaders in business, politics, media and the non-profit sector -- chose the Purpose Prize honorees from a pool of more than 600 nominees. Jurors included Sherry Lansing, former CEO of Paramount; Michael D. Eisner, former CEO of The Walt Disney Company; Arianna Huffington, Founder of The Huffington Post; Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP; and Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

"When we launched the Purpose Prize in 2006, the idea that people in their 60's and 70's (and beyond) were every bit as innovative as those in their 20's and 30's was blasphemy. And the notion that they were every bit as committed to solving society's biggest challenges was not even considered seriously. Ten years -- and more than 500 Purpose Prize winners later -- it's an indisputable truth," said Encore.org founder and CEO Marc Freedman. "We can't wait to see what these creative, passionate investors will do next."

The 2015 Purpose Prize winners and fellows will be joined by dozens of honorees on February 10, 2016 at the Jazz Center in San Francisco for an evening of festivities. The Purpose Prize was created by Encore.org with major investments from The Atlantic Philanthropies and the John Templeton Foundation. Encore.org is a national nonprofit that is building a movement to tap the skills and experience of those in midlife and beyond to improve communities and the world. The Purpose Prize is a program of Encore.org. See more at http://www.encore.org/prize